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In expert analysis, Fin Smith has demonstrated that he merits the starting position for the national team's fly-half against the All Blacks this weekend.

Fin Smith produced without doubt the best defensive display we have seen from an England fly-half for quite some time.

How he fronted up by consistently making defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His game management proved exceptional - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made some strong choices when things didn't proceed as expected in the first half.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to calm the squad strategically and make important decisions is something he has really nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's number one fly-half and he should start versus New Zealand next week.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick sees it similarly too, since Smith has demonstrated his capability in big international games.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford began last Saturday versus the Wallabies due to captaincy reasons, and part of that decision aimed at ensuring consistency while acknowledging his performance during the visit to South America.

But England's showing against Fiji represented a marked improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost in Italy last weekend, therefore we must avoid becoming overly excited about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin given how below par the Australians were.

Fiji, on the other hand, were much more dangerous while offering a much more difficult test.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford pushing him while providing backup, I think Smith will find himself in a very strong position in his career.

The Harlequins star also has to be considered as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.

He's progressing in his career while beginning to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his distinctive attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced their impact player, who scored the decisive try to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the significance of possessing players capable of creating a real impact from the bench.

That kind of presence might represent the difference between winning a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the match unfold while substituted and thinks about how to create a difference upon entering.

His choices and error rate have improved significantly since his early career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Smith as such type influential player, including him among substitutes could be valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I don't think he is the answer at full-back, making it a position that is still unclaimed.

New Zealand are likely to punt testing England's defensive line, therefore it must remain impenetrable.

This role that needs to become a real strength, both defensively while regarding offensive transitions danger.

Currently, I believe Smith functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to identify the benefit of playing him in that position.

I want the ball in his hands frequently, but I believe that should be among starters, particularly in the final quarter.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist numerous similarities between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the ability to make the correct choices during tense moments - his instincts are not something you can really taught.

I remember when he got the ball during one phase within his own half appearing like it could be should they swung it wide.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed to turn the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure them back and turn the screw.

That's the sort of fly-half play securing titles while claiming World Cups.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness under pressure directing the players around him, and the understanding that he doesn't always need as primary option.

I hope to witness him given the chance to show this at elite level next week, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, particularly during domestic matches week in consistently.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled in difficult situations, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense games.

I think England possesses two fly-halves who can do the role, but with Fin's defensive work combined with everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round player.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates you don't have to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, rather than an individual being a little more passive.

One might present compelling arguments for Ford starting with Smith entering from substitution.

There are so many considerations that go on privately, but whichever way the management choose to proceed, it will give the opponents problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative against the All Blacks, when attention was simply on picking the right player.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose can put New Zealand under real pressure.

Fin's ability to pick optimal kicks and execute enabling possible 50-20 can take all the stress off England.